A Chechen naturalized French in 2008, who was notably accused of having been “emir” of a jihadist group in Syria in 2013 and 2014, was stripped of French nationality by a decree published this Wednesday in the Official Journal. He was sentenced in 2019 to a ten-year prison sentence, with two-thirds security, by the Paris Special Assize Court.
During his trial, Khassanbek Tourchaev admitted to having gone to Syria and to having stayed there for approximately three months in 2013 and 2014. He had claimed to have gone there in order to look for his brothers, “not to wage war”.
A man in a polygamous situation, father of several children
However, he was accused of having participated in combat and providing training in explosives to other fighters. He was also suspected of having played the role of “emir” in a jihadist group, within the Caucasus Emirate affiliated with Ahrar Al-Sham, which was itself part of the Islamic Front.
Khassanbek Tourchaev, now 53, grew up in Grozny, Chechnya. The war forced him to flee his country to seek asylum in France. As early as 2005, he had been spotted by the intelligence services because of his religious extremism. He describes himself as a Salafist.
“Today, I am on the path to Allah,” he declared during his trial in 2019, before asserting that “Syria [était] a closed subject” for him. “Prison changed a lot of things in me. What I need is my family,” added the man in a polygamous situation, father of several children who live in Alsace.
Around twenty forfeitures of nationality pronounced
Between 2019 and 2023, at least twenty people were deprived of nationality for terrorism in France, according to official figures. Forfeiture of nationality may be decided in the event of an attack on the fundamental interests of the Nation or in the event of conviction for a terrorist offense. It can only concern dual nationals who were not born in France, and is issued by decree.
The controversial Immigration law adopted in December by Parliament plans to extend the measure to dual nationals convicted of intentional homicide against any person holding public authority.